Gait analysis in clinically healthy sheep from three different age groups using a pressure-sensitive walkway

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Psychophysical power functions for apparent area in perceptive, memory, and inference conditions for observers of different age groups

The purpose of this research was to verify the effect of age on the exponent of the power function in Perceptive, Memory, and Inference experimental conditions. In the Memory condition the intervals of 2 min., 8, 24, and 48 hr. and 1 wk. were used between acquisition of information and remembering. For each experimental condition the ages of observers ranged between 17 and 35 years (Group I), 40-55 years (Group II), and 60-77 years (Group III), and education ranged from high school to graduate school. The observers estimated the areas of the Brazilian states using the psychophysical method of magnitude estimation. No significant differences were obtained for Groups I, II, and III for each experimental condition, except in the Memory Condition with the 24-hr. interval. Analysis for experimental conditions and ages showed a significant difference between the Perceptive Condition and each of the others, but no difference between the Inference and Memory Conditions. These results indicated that in the remembering processes there is no loss of information as a function of age. From the small variability in the power function exponents for the three ages, we may assume that age could be related to amount of education of the observers, which suggests study is important.

Do Thyroid Ultrasonographic Features Change According to Age in Euthyroid Dogs?

The thyroid gland was assessed by ultrasound in healthy euthyroid mixed-breed medium size dogs in different age groups. The objective was to verify ultrasonographic imaging patterns in these groups, as well as to identify possible changes in imaging features resulting from ageing. Thirty dogs - 10 young (<1 year), 10 adult and 10 elderly - without clinical signs or history of thyroid gland disease with complete blood count and thyroid function tests within the reference values were evaluated. Each thyroid lobe was examined by ultrasound for shape, size, echogenicity and echotexture. The analysis of echogenicity and echotexture was made by histogram. Thyroid volume was estimated by the equation for ellipsoid (length x width x height) pi/6. The thyroid volume of the young dogs in this study had a tendency to be higher than in adult dogs (P = 0.068) and older dogs (P = 0.120). The height of the thyroid lobe in the longitudinal plane was significantly higher (P = 0.026) in young dogs compared with the other dogs. The echotexture and echogenicity had no significant differences between groups, but the echogenicity was greater in older dogs. The results point out that ultrasound imaging of the thyroid volume is influenced by age in euthyroid dogs.

Effects of age and gender on upper airway, lower airway and upper lip growth

The aim of the present retrospective study was to evaluate the influence of age and gender on upper and lower airway width and upper lip length. In this study, 390 lateral cephalograms were divided into 13 age groups (ranging from 6 to 18 years) and were analyzed. The inter-group differences were analyzed using a MANOVA (Multivariate Analysis of the Variance), and the intragroup differences were analyzed using an ANOVA (Analysis of the Variance) and Tukey's test. The results of the present study indicated that although the airway width and the upper lip length increased with age, the lower airway width exhibited variable growth between the ages of six and eighteen years. The airway width was significantly greater in females than males, whereas the upper airway width was similar between these two genders. The lip length was significantly shorter in females than males. The lower airway width and upper lip length were significantly different between males and females, whereas the upper airway width was similar for the genders. The upper airway width and upper lip exhibited incremental growth between the ages of six and eighteen years. The upper lip closely followed the growth pattern of the upper airway width; the growth plateaued between the ages of 6 and 9 years, increased from 9 to 16 years and plateaued from 16 to 18 years.

Narrativas orais de crianças com desenvolvimento típico de linguagem

TEMA: desenvolvimento da narrativa oral. OBJETIVO: verificar o tempo de narrativa e de pausa, o número de palavras e de intervenções do interlocutor em narrativas orais de crianças com desenvolvimento típico. MÉTODO: participaram do estudo 31 crianças divididas em quatro grupos etários: GI (3:1 a 4:0 anos), GII (4:1 a 5:0 anos), GIII (5:1 a 6:0 anos) e GIV (6:1 a 7:0 anos). Amostras de narrativa espontânea e narrativa com livro sem palavras foram coletadas em vídeo, transcritas e analisadas estatisticamente por meio de teste exato de Fisher (não-paramétrico) e modelo de regressão linear com efeitos mistos. RESULTADOS: os valores de tempo de pausa, tempo de narrativa, e o número de palavras no contexto de livro foram significativamente maiores em relação à narrativa espontânea (p-valor < 0,01). Quanto ao número de intervenções, houve correlação (p-valor = 0,03) entre idade e intervenção no contexto de livro com diminuição da intervenção na media que aumentou a idade. CONCLUSÃO: as crianças apresentaram uma narrativa mais extensa no contexto de relato com livro sem palavras em relação ao contexto de narrativa espontânea, porém, sem diferenças significativas entre as idades. O estudo permitiu ainda concluir que a participação do interlocutor faz-se menos necessária conforme aumenta a idade do narrador.

Effect of age and number of parturitions on uterine and ovarian variables in owl monkeys

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The effects of male age on sperm DNA damage in an infertile population

The objective was to investigate the influence of age on sperm DNA damage. Semen samples were collected from 508 men in an unselected group of couples attending infertility investigation and treatment. DNA fragmentation in spermatozoa was measured by TdT (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase)-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling (TUNEL) assay; at least 200 spermatozoa in randomly selected areas of microscope slides were evaluated using a fluorescent microscope and the percentage of TUNEL positive spermatozoa was determined. The number of cells with red fluorescence (TUNEL positive) was expressed as a percentage of the total sample [DNA fragmentation index (DFI)]. Age was treated as a continuous variable for regression and correlation analysis. The following male age groups were used: Group I: ≤35 years, Group II: 36-39 years, and Group III: ≥40 years. DFI was significantly lower in Group I than in Group II (P = 0.034) or III (P = 0.022). There was no difference in DFI between Groups II and III. In addition, regression analysis demonstrated a significant increase in sperm DFI with age (P = 0.02). TUNEL assay clearly demonstrates an increase in sperm DNA damage with age. © 2007 Published by Reproductive Healthcare Ltd.

Biochemical profile of the Pêga donkey (Equus asinus) breed: influence of age and sex

Inappropriate reference limits increase the risks of unnecessary investigations and diagnostic failures. Species, breed, environment, handling, and physiologic stage can influence serum biochemical variables. This study aimed to establish serum biochemical reference intervals of Pêga donkeys and the influence of age and sex on these variables. Samples were taken from 110 donkeys (79 females and 31 males; 8 under 1 year, 33 between 1 and 3 years, and 69 over 3 years old). There were no differences for creatine kinase (CK), albumin, urea, and magnesium among age groups. Animals under 1 year old had the lowest aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatinine, triglycerides, total calcium, and chloride means; lower indirect bilirubin, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and sodium levels than over 3-year-old group and the highest phosphorus, glucose, cholesterol, ionized calcium, and alkaline phosphatase (AP) values. Total protein increased with age. The group from 1 to 3 years had higher potassium than up to 1-year-old group. Animals over 3 years old had the highest means of direct and total bilirubin. ALT, CK, GGT, direct and total bilirubin, urea, triglycerides, sodium, potassium, and chloride levels did not differ between genders. Females had higher AST, total protein, total calcium, and indirect bilirubin levels. Males showed greater AP, albumin, phosphorus, glucose, creatinine, cholesterol, magnesium, and ionized calcium values. Discrepancies among present results and previous studies show influencing factors on biochemical profile of donkeys and reinforce the importance of establishment of specific reference intervals. This study is useful in clinical routine and as basis to other scientific researches with Pêga donkeys. © 2013 Springer-Verlag London.

Characterization of the variable cow's age at last calving as a measurement of longevity by using the Kaplan-Meier estimator and the Cox model

In most studies on beef cattle longevity, only the cows reaching a given number of calvings by a specific age are considered in the analyses. With the aim of evaluating all cows with productive life in herds, taking into consideration the different forms of management on each farm, it was proposed to measure cow longevity from age at last calving (ALC), that is, the most recent calving registered in the files. The objective was to characterize this trait in order to study the longevity of Nellore cattle, using the Kaplan-Meier estimators and the Cox model. The covariables and class effects considered in the models were age at first calving (AFC), year and season of birth of the cow and farm. The variable studied (ALC) was classified as presenting complete information (uncensored = 1) or incomplete information (censored = 0), using the criterion of the difference between the date of each cow's last calving and the date of the latest calving at each farm. If this difference was >36 months, the cow was considered to have failed. If not, this cow was censored, thus indicating that future calving remained possible for this cow. The records of 11 791 animals from 22 farms within the Nellore Breed Genetic Improvement Program ('Nellore Brazil') were used. In the estimation process using the Kaplan-Meier model, the variable of AFC was classified into three age groups. In individual analyses, the log-rank test and the Wilcoxon test in the Kaplan-Meier model showed that all covariables and class effects had significant effects (P < 0.05) on ALC. In the analysis considering all covariables and class effects, using the Wald test in the Cox model, only the season of birth of the cow was not significant for ALC (P > 0.05). This analysis indicated that each month added to AFC diminished the risk of the cow's failure in the herd by 2%. Nonetheless, this does not imply that animals with younger AFC had less profitability. Cows with greater numbers of calvings were more precocious than those with fewer calvings. Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2012.

Age polyethism in the swarm-founding wasp Metapolybia miltoni (andena & carpenter) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Polistinae, epiponini)

In Epiponini division of labor is associated with age polyethism and individual task specialization. We observed worker activities in three colonies of Metapoybia miltoni in Brazil. We analyzed differences of task allocation among age groups. Old workers tend to forage more than young, but age polyethism was less evident in other tasks. Age composition of population could be a determinant factor in task allocation. Workers are probably allocating to perform tasks according to colony needs, and not to individual's age. Considering age population in studies of division of labor could help to understand how colonies respond to different situations.

The relationships between scrotal surface temperature, age and sperm quality in stallions

In horses, spermatogenesis normally occurs at an average intratesticular temperature of 35. °C; therefore, mechanisms for testicular thermoregulation are essential. Measuring the scrotal surface temperature by thermography is one of the methodologies used to evaluate the effectiveness of testicular thermoregulation. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the control of scrotal surface temperature and sperm quality in horses of different ages. In total, 24 Quarter Horse stallions were divided into three groups: YS (young stallions), AS (adult stallions) and OS (old stallions). Initially, we calculated the testicular volume (TV) and evaluated various aspects of the semen (sperm kinetics, plasma membrane integrity and sperm morphology) for all the animals. We also evaluated rectal temperature (RT), body surface temperature (BST,) and average scrotal surface temperature in the testicular region (SST) before (M0) and after sun exposure (M1). Differences were observed (p<0.05) between the RT and BST before and after sun exposure in all three groups. However, there were no differences (p>0.05) in the SST values at these two time points, thus demonstrating the efficiency of the mechanisms for testicular thermoregulation. The SST was similar (p>0.05) among all three groups. Based on these results, we conclude that fertile stallions of different age groups are able to maintain SST and measuring the heat radiating from the scrotum using a digital infrared thermographer. We can also conclude that measuring the heat radiating from the scrotum using a digital infrared thermographer is a practical and efficient tool for monitoring SST in horses. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Age Affects Exercise-Induced Improvements in Heart Rate Response to Exercise

The aim of the present study was to analyze the effects of age on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), muscle strength and heart rate (HR) response to exercise adaptation in women in response to a long-term twice-weekly combined aerobic and resistance exercise program. 85 sedentary women, divided into young (YG; n=22, 30.3±6.2 years), early middle-aged (EMG; n=28, 44.1±2.5 years), late middle-aged (LMG; n=20, 56.7±3.5 years) and older (OG; n=15, 71.4±6.9 years) groups, had their CRF, muscle strength (1-repetition maximum test) and HR response to exercise (graded exercise test) measured before and after 12 months of combined exercise training. Exercise training improved CRF and muscle strength in all age groups (P<0.05), and no significant differences were observed between groups. Exercise training also improved resting HR and recovery HR in YG and EMG (P<0.05), but not in LMG and OG. Maximal HR did not change in any group. Combined aerobic and resistance training at a frequency of 2 days/week improves CRF and muscle strength throughout the lifespan. However, exercise-induced improvements in the HR recovery response to exercise may be impaired in late middle-aged and older women. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG.

Hemograma, proteinograma e enzima gama-glutamil transferase de cães neonatos, do 3º ao 45º dia de vida, sob a ação da idade e da suplementação com luteína

Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária - FMVZ

O homem que orientalizava: o oriente de Malba Tahan

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Age polyethism in the swarm-founding wasp Metapolybia miltoni (Andena & Carpenter) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Polistinae, Epiponini)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)